Adventures in Syncope

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Yesterday morning I was going on a hike with my husband and several other hikers. We were just in the beginning of the hike and were nearing the top of a steep hill, walking up several slabs of granite, when I apparently lost consciousness. I say ‘‘apparently’’ because I didn’t realize at first that I had lost consciousness.

According to my husband I just collapsed onto one of the stairs, my eyes rolled to the side and I was completely unresponsive, staring vacantly for several terrifying seconds. Thank god he just happened to see me go down, because he and the trail guide both caught me and brought me down easy. I also started shaking, I guess.

What I remember is I was walking up a hill and the next second I was sitting on a slab of granite with everyone looking at me, and I had no idea where I was or what was going on, but I was terrified because I knew something was wrong, I was dizzy and weak and confused. Somehow, deep in my psyche, I knew who Sr. Olives was, but I couldn’t have told you his name. I remember panic, and telling him I didn’t know what was happening and I was scared, and he very calmly told me I would be fine. I know now his calmness was real because he was so damn relieved that I was awake again.

I felt bad for holding up the group and kept trying to get up to show them I could carry on (again, had no idea I had lost consciousness, and was completely confused.) They wouldn’t let me get up and one of the lady hikers stayed with me asking me banal questions until the rescue crew got there. With assistance I was able to walk the short distance back to the start of the trail where I was loaded into an ambulance and carried away.

So everyone’s first thought was seizure. They took me to acute care first, and then when it was clear I was okay, they transferred me to the Rapid Diagnostic Unit. I got a CAT, an MRI, an ultrasound on the arteries in my throat, and an EEG with 25 electrodes on my head. I didn’t get to eat for 15 hours. Once we learned we were staying in RDU overnight, my friends came and brought us sandwiches and fresh fruit and our Kindles. Oh god, hospitals are so boring. My poor husband had to sleep on the floor next to my hospital bed.

So far everything has come up negative except the echo-cardiogram, the results of which I find out tomorrow. They told me early on they didn’t expect to find a cause, but they wanted to rule out all the serious stuff.

So the official diagnosis is syncope, which means sudden rapid loss of consciousness. The lame conclusion is that I fainted. Never fainted before in my life, and I’m damned lucky I had support when I fell. As far as I can tell my only injuries are a bruised arm and a bitten tongue.

I’m home from the hospital now, after over 24 hours in RDU. I’m taking a sick day tomorrow. I’m absolutely freakin’ exhausted.

How was *your *weekend?

2

It was boring compared to yours.

If TV and movies have taught me anything, it’s that fainting is always the first sign of pregnancy. Congrats! :stuck_out_tongue:

Hoping that no cause is ever found, meaning it was just a weird anomaly and nothing is wrong with you.

3

So glad you came out of it okay! I have to admit I’d never heard of “syncope” before; I would have said it was a musical term.

4

“Beware of fainting-fits… though at the time they may be refreshing and agreeable, yet believe me: they will, in the end, if too often repeated and at improper seasons, prove destructive to your constitution.”
— Jane Austen, Love and Friendship
If your husband reads this, I recommend that your new nickname become either “Damsel in distress” or “Lady of Olive” in honor of this most Victorian behavior.

5

15 years ago…give or take a few… I was on my way to a Breckenridge, and was sitting uncomfortably in a small vehicle, packed around suitcases. After about an hour, we stopped for a bathroom break. I got up, walked into the restaurant, walked to the bathroom, and collapsed just as I started to urinate. Woke up a bit later - I couldn’t say how long it was, but I was in a booth…had to be at least a minute before I knew what was going on.

Might have been pressure related. Might have been elevation. Might have been…random.

Haven’t had a problem since. I hope your experience works out as easily, without ever needing to figure anything out

6

Glad you’re doing better.

7

I’m so glad you’re okay! Although I will say you might want to consider a pregnancy test if they didn’t give you one at the hospital. When I was pregnant for the first 12 weeks or so I would occasionally swoon and have to lean against a wall for a few minutes if I went too long without eating.

8

I’ve never heard of it either, although reading the wiki page makes me think I’ve been close to experiencing it myself in the past:

Glad you’re OK Olives.

9

I’ve had syncope for years. My doctor calls it ‘cough’ syncope because the episodes happen when I cough deeply (like when I am seriously congested). The only problem I have had while driving caused me to run off the road (into a center median) but that only broke a few signs and the car. Most often, I will be sitting on the couch watching TV when it happens so there is nothing serious.

The doctor says that the Vagus (a main central nerve) nerve is triggered (is that what happens to nerves?) which causes a sudden drop in blood pressure and, fainting. The shaking apparently is everything restarting and getting back to normal.

The incidence of the attacks decreased when I stopped smoking but were never very frequent. I am careful, though, that if I have a cold or am congested, that I take a decongestant before driving a car.

It isn’t fun, and can alarm people around you, but apparently finding the cause is too expensive to pursue.

Bob

10

Things happen, they come and go.

Be happy you had helping hands to catch you!

I was hospitalized recently with shortness of breath. Got pretty worried but all the tests are coming back negative.

I wouldn’t worry, just be aware, and if possible prepare.

11

That’s pretty scary, especially when you don’t know what’s causing it. I’m glad you’re feeling better now.

I’m a fainter - when I get injured, I pass out. I’ve learned the signs of an oncoming faint - the world starts to recede, my ears start to ring, my vision greys out - I know that it’s time to sit down or lie down and get my head down. Did you have any signs like that at all before you passed out?

12

“Anybody else ever just black out? It makes a nice break in the day.”
– Coach, Cheers

13

Hehe I got vasovagal too. It has also caused me to have a phobia of expectorants.

The last couple times I took an expectorant for chest congestion it happened. A bit of a cough, just enough to bring phlegm onto the cough trigger button on my throat. Then an instinctual irresistible urge to cough. Then that cough brings up more on the button. A cycle that last for about 10 coughs, then I pass out. Except it is not a nice peaceful passing out. My brain does the whole hard drive dump, life flashing before your eyes thing, plus a whole bunch of dream hallucination stuff. It seems like months of weird shit happened but it takes only a couple seconds till I am back.

14

See what the great outdoors does!! It’s tries to kill you. Sit at your computer and post to the Dope all weekend like a normal person.

15

I don’t think any of that happened, but I don’t have the best memory of it. What I remember, I was walking up the hill, thinking I would be quite happy to get to the top, and the next moment I was sitting on a slab of granite facing the opposite direction and everybody around me was freaking out.

Yeah, I think the doctor mentioned the Vagus. I’m glad to hear the shaking is normal; I wondered what was up with that.

I really hope this does not happen again. I’m a little nervous about driving.

16

I imagine you’re less likely to keel over while sitting than you are hiking up a granite slope.

I, for one, have postural hypotensive presyncope. If I stand up to fast, my vision grays out, and I get wobbly. I’ve learned to sit down again real fast, and if necessary, put my head down to my knees.

Quit being so dramatic, Olives! You’ve got quite enough excitement in your life as is.

17

I had an episode about 4 years ago. One minute, I was sitting on a bench, and the next thing I knew I was face down on the concrete.

I was not lucky enough to have anyone nearby to catch me. I ended up with a large bump, broken glasses and cuts fom the lenses. I was also shaky and disoriented for a couple of hours.

No reason was ever found*, and it has yet to happen again.

*They did find a small tumor, but the consensus was that it was not in an area of the brain that would cause syncope or seizures.

18

For my mother it would be a sudden hate of fried eggs… how are you feeling around fried eggs, Olives?

I’m glad you’re better and hope it won’t happen again. I had a few episodes where I almost fainted but not quite; apparently in my case it’s linked to negative stress, so it’s been a matter of figuring out what the stressors are (sadly, one of them’s stupidity).

19

Any time anything ever happens to me, someone thinks I’m pregnant. This time it was a little old foreign lady with a thick accent who came with us. It is quite literally impossible for me to be pregnant, but I don’t think discussing my sex life or my reproductive health is really appropriate with people I’ve just met.

I’ve discovered a number of bruises on my arms and legs upon returning home. Looks like I banged myself up a bit but overall I was pretty lucky.

20

Happened to a doctor I worked for during a departmental dinner out at a restaurant. She’d been eating spicy food, drinking alcohol, and then stood up quickly - and just as quickly crashed down to the floor. Since they were all cardiologists there was just a lot of muttering about syncope after checking her over, and she was up and around shortly, not much the worse for wear. Sorry to hear yours was so scary and ruined your hiking plans.